Kanhaiya Kumar to Debate Amit Shah on 'CAA'?

New Delhi, January 24, 2020:

Senior CPI (M) leader Kanhaiya Kumar, lashing out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, stated that the BJP leader's request to opposition leaders to hold debates on the contentious amendment of the Citizenship Act is a "jhumla" (gimmick).

Speaking to Inside Northeast, Kanhaiya termed Shah's "request" to the opposition as a "jhumla". "Like everything else he does, this too is a jhumla...do not get swayed by him. What else can I say?", Kanhaiya told us over the phone.

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Kanhaiya's comment comes after noted political commentator and comedian Kunal Kamra suggesting that Shah should debate Kanhaiya Kumar, one of the fiercest opponents of the CAA, since he is calling forth opposition leaders to allay fears over the BJP's trident of CAA-NRC-NPR. Taking to Twitter after Shah challenged opposition leaders to a debate on the controversial legislation, Kamra had written, "Amit Shah kanhiya se karoge sir? Karoon fix?" (Amit Shah, will you debate Kanhaiya? Shall I fix it?"

It is pertinent to mention here that Shah, lambasting opposition leaders for spreading "misinformation" regarding the CAA, NRC, NPR, challenged Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, and Akhilesh Yadav to a public debate on the CAA.

The opposition has largely accepted Shah's offer for a debate. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday challenged Union home minister Amit Shah to debate with him on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from three countries of India's neighbourhood- Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati have also acquiesced to Shah's challenge, and have responded with tweets.

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